The Real to Reel Insider: Feature films

Published: Monday, June 3, 2013 at 04:38 PM.

In “Present,” we follow a performing artist named Daniel and his sister, Dorothy, around Asheville and later Mt. Airy, as they visit their hometown and realize that it never really left them.

On Halloween, Daniel comes to visit Dorothy and her roommate Cassie. The three decide to take a road trip to Mt. Airy, the siblings’ former hometown, to visit “Mayberry” and to see how things have changed.

Their trip to Mt. Airy feels familiar, like any road trip we’ve taken, and the things they do are mostly uneventful. They visit an antique shop, they play in a pumpkin patch, Daniel gets a haircut, and they visit Andy Griffith’s house. Ironically, the neighbor of that house doesn’t even know who Andy Griffith was. And the house they used to live in is now home to a new family.

In this week's Real to Reel Insider, you'll find two great feature films. The majority of films for the festival have been shorts and documentaries, but there are still some great feature films out there. Here are two I enjoyed, and if selected for the festival, I hope you enjoy them too.

PRESENT

http://www.ithappenedonehalloween.com/

By Joe Chang, Asheville

85 minutes

In “Present,” we follow a performing artist named Daniel and his sister, Dorothy, around Asheville and later Mt. Airy, as they visit their hometown and realize that it never really left them.

On Halloween, Daniel comes to visit Dorothy and her roommate Cassie. The three decide to take a road trip to Mt. Airy, the siblings’ former hometown, to visit “Mayberry” and to see how things have changed.

Their trip to Mt. Airy feels familiar, like any road trip we’ve taken, and the things they do are mostly uneventful. They visit an antique shop, they play in a pumpkin patch, Daniel gets a haircut, and they visit Andy Griffith’s house. Ironically, the neighbor of that house doesn’t even know who Andy Griffith was. And the house they used to live in is now home to a new family.

When the three return to Asheville, the small-town restaurant Dorothy worked at closes unexpectedly. The realization that things are changing, disappearing, is deeply felt at this moment. Many of us have witnessed the little pieces that make up Small Town USA slowly fall apart and disappear.

But change has to happen. New people move into our old houses, people forget about the television of yesterday, small town diners close, and children grow up.

What does not change is our ability to remember these things if we choose to, and to make new memories that don’t eclipse the former, but rather recall them when we need them most.

SURVIVING FAMILY

http://www.survivingfamily.us/

Written and Produced by Mara Lesemann

Directed by Laura Thies

“Surviving Family” is an aptly-named feature that speaks volumes about the struggles of being someone’s “surviving family.” As children, Terry Malone and her two siblings lost their mother on Terry’s birthday. A longtime sufferer of depression and bipolar disorder, their mother finally decided she couldn’t live any longer. After that, Terry’s main goal was to get away from her family and their small town.

So Terry runs from her problems, and escapes them for years. But when she returns to introduce her fiance, Alex, to her family and to hold the wedding at her sister’s house, the past comes flooding back. Suddenly, Terry is forced to confront the things she still hasn’t dealt with: anger at her mother, blame for her father, and a new sister she didn’t know existed.

Terry’s struggle not to overcome, but to accept her past and her family, is poignantly told in “Surviving Family.” As she finds healing in understanding the story of her mother, Terry learns to let go of her hurt and anger. She learns to let go of the things that don’t matter, and to hold on to the people who do.

About the Real to Reel International Film Festival

Dates: July 24-27 at 7 p.m. nightly, 1 p.m. Saturday

Location: Joy Theatre in Kings Mountain

Information: The festival is a production of the Cleveland County Arts Council. For more information, call the Arts Council at 704-484-2787 or visit their website at http://www.ccartscouncil.org/realtoreel/.